Raindrops
by Shivariya
Summary: My mom had always said nothing was impossible, but this was really pushing it! When Death comes for me, well... it's not exactly the way I had imagined it. OC.
1. Prologue: Highway to Hell

Summary: My mom had always said nothing was impossible, but this was really pushing it! When Death comes for me,well... it's not exactly the way I had imagined it. Being thrown into a supposedly fictional world by the Grim Reaper with no explanation was hardly what I had planned for my afterlife. And being tasked with a mission from said deity that I didn't understand certainly didn't help matters. Hopefully I could make it through the whole ordeal in one piece. Though that was probably only wishful thinking. OC.

Enjoy!

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Prologue: Highway to Hell

Once upon a time, in a small city, in a peaceful era and country, there had been a girl. She had been a relatively normal girl, who had had a family, friends, hopes, and dreams. But then that girl had died.

Yeah, I know. Bit anti-climatic, huh?

I'm not a big fan of how things went down either. See, that girl? That girl was me.

Let's start at the beggining, shall we?

0o0o0o0o1o0o0o0o0o

The day had been like every other predictable day before it. Get up, get dressed, eat, go to school, pick up little sister, take care of said younger sibling, do homework, do chores, make dinner, rinse and repeat. I suppose weird things tend to happen when you least expect them too.

The cool night air was a nice change from the blistering summer sun that had been obnoxiously present during the day. I let out a content sigh, closing my eyes for a brief second, enjoying the slight breeze that ruffled my hair and skirt.

I stood at the front doorway for a moment, before looking back inside. My eyes landed on the person on the couch in the living room, watching TV and slumped bonelessly on the piece of furniture. The sound of the TV mingled with the soft whirring of the eletrical fan.

"I'll be back in a flash, Lulu," I called to my little sister, slipping on a light cardigan that had hung from the coat rack on the wall closest to me. "Please behave."

A rather unladylike snort came from the mischievous ten year old on the couch.

"What the heck do you think I'm gonna do, sis? Commit arson?" She asked, sarcasm rather heavy as she lazily flipped through TV channels. I huffed, amused, stuffing my keys in the pockest of my cardigan. Lucinda, called Lulu only by me, had a rather extensive vocabulary for a ten year old. It was no doubt a product of years of lots of reading and having a bookworm older sister, who was studying to be an English teacher and was majoring in literature.

"Considering how much of a wicked imp you are? Highly provable," I retorted in mock haughtiness. "Mom should be home soon. Tell her we're having fish for dinner, kay? I made you some of that chocolate pudding you like so much. Please only eat a little. It should tide you over till dinner's done."

"Yeah yeah," Lulu said distractedly as she eagerly made her way to the kitchen to get her chocolaty treat. My lips quirked into a smile.

"Bye, love you!" I shouted to her as I slipped out the door. I only just barely managed to catch the muffled 'love you too' Lulu had called after me. After making sure that the door was locked I headed in the direction of the nearest supermarket in need of some things for dinner.

I hummed a popular pop song under my breath as I walked, enjoying the peaceful night. No one was around that I knew of. My mind wandered as I mentally catalouged what I needed to buy, only being aware of the buzzing of nearby bugs. I was so lost in thought, it was needless to say that I didn't notice the truck headed my way until it was too late. I heard the screeching of tires, felt a shock of agony, red obscuring my sight.

Everything faded to black.

0o0o0o0o2o0o0o0o0o

When I woke up, I was really confused. One of the reasons being the fact that I had woken up at all. Not to mention I didn't feel any pain anymore and considering what I remembered, I had been in a pretty nasty accident. And lastly, I had woken up in a place that was blindingly bright and seemed to be endless. Everything was white, even the weird dress thing I was wearing that only served to add to my confusion.

Was I in Heaven or something? I was rather skeptical. My mom was a firm believer in a higher being, but I never really was able to believe it. Still, it seemed like the best theory I could come up with at the moment.

I sat and waited for what seemed like a long time before getting bored and standing up with the intention of exploring in a faint hope that I could find something, or preferably, someone.

My wish was granted before I could even take a step forward.

With a strangled cry, I fell on my ass, scrambling backwards in a bad attempt to get away from the...monstrous thing that had appeared in front of me. My eyes were wide, pupils dilated in fear as I stared up at it, trembling.

The terrfying creature, it was painfully obvious that it was inhuman, stared straight at my shivering form with a nerve wrecking intensity. It registrered in the small part of my brain that wasn't freaking the fuck out that the thing before me was vaguely familiar.

It had a long, wild mane of white hair, two red horns, and grey blue skin. The clothing it wore blended with the background and I faintly noticed the weird bead thing it carried as well as the sword in its mouth. The creature pratically dwarfed me and my eyes couldn't seem to look away from the pitch black pair of eyes that were staring at me.

When a giant hand reached towards me, my fear level went from 'pants pissingly terrfying' to 'heart stopping, on the verge of cardiac arrest.' My eyes snapped shut, tears leaking down my face as I waited for whatever horrible thing it wanted to do to me. The anticipation was nauseating. I wanted to puke.

I felt a finger touch my forehead and I stiffened in shock, eyes snapping open as information enetered my head. With a healthy amount of disbelief and dread settling in my stomach like a bad meal, I could only stare, open mouthed as the the thing (_Shinigami_, my mind whispered) stared me down.

"You want...," my mouth was dry, and I was horribly close to hyperventilating. "Why...why me?" I choked out, trembling like a leaf, curling in on myself, tears still silently making their way down my cheeks. The Shinigami grinned. I noticed that the weird short sword it had had previously was gone, giving me a full view of a mouth filled with sharp, jagged teeth. I could only manage a frightened half-choked scream when it reached towards me once again.

Everything faded to white.

0o0o0o0o3o0o0o0o0o

Chaos.

That was what greeted me when I woke up again with a start and watery eyes. I heard far off explosions and felt the vibrations that shook the earth below me and felt a _malevolent, evil, vile_ presence weigh down on me. Disoriented, I registered my surroundings with a growing sense of horror.

I was in the ruins of what had been a house, and I tried not to think about the two lumps crushed under said remains that could only be human bodies. My body felt tired and sore but I managed to catch a glimpse of myself in a broken mirror nearby. My heart skipped and my breath hitched.

Staring back at me was the face of a kid with reddish-brown hair and a dirt smudged face. I noted that my eyes were the same as always. A honey brown, bordering on amber. With trembling chubby toddler hands, I touched my reflection.

The malicious presence doubled and I choked on it, feeling like I was drowning. I clutched at my neck, realizing slowly that being in the body of a toddler was the least of my worries at the moment.

There in the distance I could just barely make out the gigantic form of a red being, looking distinctly like a fox with wildly waving tails. I realised with a jolt where I was, and the forcefully shoved information in my head made startling sense now. Terror unlike anything else washed over me, tinged with disbelief. I was in Kohona.

It was October tenth.

The night of the Nine-Tailed Fox attack.

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One day us writers will have a creative way to kill off characters that doesn't include a car accident. Today is not that day.

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	2. Chapter 1: Keep Calm and Carry On

Chapter 1: Keep Calm and Carry On

After realizing where I was, and the implications that came along with it, everything that followed was confusing. I barely remember some parts of it, dazed as I was by it all.

I was confused and scared and I wanted nothing more than to just wake up from this horrible nightmare.

I wanted to go home.

"Help!" I cried desperately. My voice sounded so painfully young. It cracked sometimes, and my throat was like sandpaper as I kept calling for help. The horrible presence, which was more than likely the Kyuubi's chakra, was impeding my breathing slightly.

I was trembling. Was I going to die again?

Apparently, I was not.

I jumped, turning frightened eyes to the man (a ninja, I noted from the clothing and headband) that had appeared from seemingly nowhere. He must have heard my cries for help.

He was a pretty man with dark hair and eyes. The ninja in front of me seemed baffled, eyes landing on the bodies under the pile of rubble that had once been a house then going back to me.

"How hell are you still alive?" He muttered to himself, eyeing me then the limp bodies with something of a grimace. He was shaken out of his slight confusion by another far off explosion, and a deafening roar that could only belong to the bijuu attacking.

"Come on kid, let's get you out of here," he mumbled, slipping a strong arm around my little waist. I was probably going into shock. Everything was so surreal and happening so fast that I could do no more than just go with the flow.

The ninja, Mamoru, had told me his name as he ran on the rooftops of partially destroyed buildings. He had asked mine but I couldn't tell him my, this body's name, and giving my actual name just seemed really dumb and like I was asking for trouble.

During the very, very uncomfortable and jarring run, I caught a clearer look of the Kyuubi. He was huge, really really big, and oh god I could have been crushed by that. What the hell was I doing here, in this horribly dangerous place? Curse that Shinigami. I bet he was having himself a nice laugh over my misery.

In almost no time at all, Mamoru was handing me over to some haggard looking woman, with information on where he had found me.

I looked up at Mamoru, bottom lip quivering. I had known him for all about five minutes, but he had been the one to rescue me, as well as my first contact with someone from this world who was friendly.

The man had smiled kindly at me, calloused hand ruffling my shoulder length hair. He told me to be good before I was ushered away by the woman towards a group that was evacuating. Over my shoulder, I managed to catch a final glimpse of him before he was gone, off to return to fighting.

I never saw him again.

0o0o0o0o1o0o0o0o0o

After being taken with the group evacuating, all that we did was huddle around and wait for the attack to be over. Well, that's what they did at least. I was too busy blankly staring at nothing, trying to come to terms with everything that had happened in the last couple hours.

Had it been hours since my death? Days? More than that? I didn't know. I had no way of knowing, of contacting anyone from my world. I was stuck here. Was there any way to get home?

The answer seemed to be a resounding no.

The Shinigami had wanted me here for a reason. A mission. But how could I complete it when I wasn't even sure what it was exactly? I closed my eyes, not being able to muster up even the energy to cry.

I had died. I lost everything. My world, my friends, my mom, and even Lucinda...my precious little Lulu.

She had been ten, I had been twenty-two. That was twelve years I had on my sister. My mother had raised me all by her herself, and often couldn't spend much time with me when I was younger because she worked as much as possible. I never resented her for that, and I had never felt unloved by her. When mom had fallen pregnant again, we were both pretty ecstatic about it.

Mom had to work extra hard again after Lulu had been born, which often times left me taking care of her. I'd been practically her second mother. And I had lost them both in one fell swoop because I hadn't been paying attention to my surroundings.

And if that wasn't enough, I get my ass sent here of all places!

With no chance of seeing them again. I trembled, but no tears leaked out. I was all cried out.

Maybe the Shinigami wanted me to change this world's future or something. I had always loved reading and watching Naruto. Hell, it was something Lulu and I both had watched together many, many times. So many things were coming. So many bad things. I was just one person, in a _child's_ body of all things. I couldn't do much of anything right now.

If that cursed Shinigami had wanted me here for my future knowledge, why _me_? Why not some other fan of the show? The show had a huge following. I pushed those thoughts away.

It's not like I could get the answers to those questions. Not right now at least. I had to make do with what I had. I was nothing if not adaptable. And maybe...maybe there was a jutsu or something out there. Something that could take me home.

I would make the best I could out of this situation. I wasn't going to mope around (much, everything that had happened was a hard pill to swallow, and I knew it would take time to completely come to terms with it.)

Just as I had built up my still shaky resolve, someone came to tell us the fighting was over.

0o0o0o0o2o0o0o0o0o

The weeks that followed the reconstruction of the village went by fast.

I was slowly getting over my shock and fear and panic of my situation. There was a only so much flailing about you could do before you had no choice but to shut up and get it together.

It was after I had calmed down that something unexpected had happened. Memories-this body's- had all but slammed into my head the day after the Kyuubi's attack. It had happened fast and painfully. The migraine from it was unlike any other I've ever had. But it was useful.

My name was Natsu. Suzuki Natsu. I liked it well enough, and it sounded fitting. It was summer when I had died. And this body was born in the summer as well. I'm sure Shinigami thought he was funny.

Sadly, it seemed my assumption of my (_this body's_) parents having been the ones under the wreck of the house had been an accurate one. (They weren't my parents, but from the memories I had, they had seemed like good people. They had shielded this body when the house had been destroyed. I tried not to think about what Shinigami had done to the soul of the child I was now in. It left me feeling sick and horribly dirty.)

Almost immediately after the attack, I was shipped to the orphanage.

I was lost that first week. I didn't really have a purpose besides the vague notion that Shinigami wanted me to accomplish something and the naïve hope that I would find a way home.

So I did what I had always done when I didn't know what to do. I threw myself into working. The ladies that ran the orphanage were being run down by the staggering amount of new orphans. Traumatized orphans.

Kyuubi had been terrifying, but I had the mind of an adult. I could cope better than these kids around me. So I helped out with the younger ones and the toddlers that had survived. I ran errands, played with them, and made sure they didn't fall out a window or something while no one was looking.

It wasn't a horribly unpleasant job, I had always loved children, despite the sadness I felt for the poor kids whose parents had been ripped away from them that horrible night.

When I had proven myself to the caretakers, they began trusting me to handle the infants. I helped change diapers and feed them. There were a lot more than I had been expecting.

Apparently, after the Third Shinobi War, as it was with almost all wars, there had been a baby boom. According to what I could gather, Konoha had been filled with pregnant women planning play dates together, comparing bellies and due dates. Most of them had gone into labour when Kyuubi attacked, most likely from stress or something similar.

Many mothers had died during childbirth, and many children more had just given up and died too under the weight of Kyubbi's horrible chakra. (And it was horrible, I had nightmares sometimes.)

It was about a month after that night that the caretakers had deemed me competent, and trustworthy enough, to let me around a particular baby.

I didn't know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't _Naruto._

0o0o0o0o3o0o0o0o0o

Naruto was a cute baby.

I mean like, really really cute. I internally squealed over him regularly. He had soft blonde hair and his eyes were the bluest I've ever seen on someone.

I was immediately taken with him. The caretakers seemed glad, and I was constantly helping them with him. They didn't abuse him, but they never went out of their way to be kind and tried to be as far away from him as possible.

Not to mention, I could _feel_ his seal.

I had been really confused at first, and fearful. After a lot of thought, I figured maybe it was because we had both been touched by the Shinigami. Which was another thing. I sometimes felt a tingle in the back of my neck, as if someone was holding me by it. I wondered if it was the Shinigami, reminding me that he was watching.

It was an unnerving thought.

I did enjoy taking care of Naruto. I knew the kind of person he would grow into, a kind and loyal friend. He was going to pretty much change the world. It was hard to see that sometimes when I looked at the small blonde baby.

Naruto had been good for me. He helped me strengthen my resolve to do my best. I wanted to change things, make them better. Especially if I was going to be stuck here for what could be forever. This world's future concerned me now.

The opportunity for something like that was presented to me sometime after I met little Naruto.

A ninja had come by the orphanage. All the kids my age had been ushered into a room, where we had been offered the chance to enroll in the Academy. I had been a bit surprised, but not overly so. Tenten had been an orphan too. It wasn't too far fetched to believe that they regularly recruited from orphanages.

I took a bit of time to think over my options. Except there really wasn't a choice. If I wanted to change anything, I had to be a ninja. But it wasn't a pleasant job at all. And it was highly dangerous, with a good chance of dying again.

But I didn't want to sit around and do nothing.

Which meant that I had to become a ninja.

0o0o0o0o4o0o0o0o0o

The Academy was weird.

They had four classes for my age group and we were divided by last names. Which meant that I ended up in a class with one Uchiha Itachi. Oh dear.

What was it with me meeting these important people so early on? Everyone was so small.

Maybe I could try befriending Itachi. He looked like he needed one. He'd always been a character I had liked. His love for a younger sibling was something I could relate to pretty well.

But despite my new little goal, I never had the chance to speak with him. I developed a routine though, which was nice.

Every day, I went to the Academy. When they let us out, I'd go back to the orphanage and spend some time with Naruto before I reviewed what we were taught. During those first few months, I spent many hours next to Naruto's crib, hearing his soft breathing as he slept while I concentrated and focused on sensing my chakra.

They told us not to try anything with it unsupervised, which I could understand. Chakra exhaustion was dangerous but I never tried a jutsu. All I did was move it around myself, doing small little control excersises like the leaf one.

All in all, I was able to get a pretty good feel and control of my chakra.

It wasn't a bad way to spend my days. I was beginning to enjoy my new life while becoming adept at ignoring the persistent ache in my heart when I thought of the other world.

I got my chance to talk to Itachi during a sparr about three months into school. My taijutsu was decent for an orphan with civilian parents. Which meant that Itachi kicked my ass.

It was pretty pathetic. I didn't get upset about it, largely due to the fact that I never expected to win. He'd probably been training since he could walk.

So I just stood up, wincing a bit and knowing I'd feel horribly sore later on. I dusted myself off then turned to Itachi with a smile.

"You're good," I complimented. "I'm Natsu, it's nice to meet you. " His expression didn't change, but there was an air of bafflement around him. I think he expected me to bitch and moan about being beaten by him. It seemed to be the common reaction when he sparred with others.

"Uchiha Itachi, " he said after a pause. And that was that. I had never been a shy person. Making friends wasn't a hard concept for me. And this time was no different. I chatted away, not really minding that he barely ever replied, and when he did, it was only a few words.

I liked the way things were going. I trained hard and my adult mind was helpful in grasping things much faster than others. I read books with fervor, trying to understand my new world. I'm sure the teachers knew I was smart, but I made sure to not give away completely just how smart I was.

Being labeled a prodigy was the last thing I wanted.

But my days were pleasant. I filled them with reading, training, and spending time with Naruto. During lunch, I spent most of my time with Itachi, sitting under a tree seperate from the rest of the grounds. We weren't allowed to leave for lunch, only the older kids could.

I did most of the talking then, but I didn't think he minded my presence. Some days, we just spent reading together. History was a common topic we both enjoyed. Those were the times he talked the most. He seemed bemused with me, but hey, Itachi hadn't told me to leave him alone so I counted this as a step in the right direction.

I had figured, had hoped, that my childhood days would just be filled with those things. Of course, things never went the way we wanted them to.

Six months after that night, I was asked to be seen by the Hokage.

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If anything doesn't make sense, please feel free to PM and I'll explain what's going through my head. Sometimes the transcition from thought to writing isn't as smooth as I'd like it to be.

Expect weekly updates now, starting this coming Tuesday. Hope you enjoyed this!

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	3. Chapter 2: To Tomorrow, With Hope

Should really do the disclaimer right about now.

**_Disclaimer_**: We all know I don't own Naruto, sadly. I just stole him for now. But I do claim Natsu as my cute little puppet.

* * *

_Chapter 2: To Tomorrow, With Hope_

I'm starting to think that the Shinigami's a damn bastard with a sick sense of humor. I knew it was very unlikely that he was controlling everything like Fate or something, but it was nice to have _someone_ to curse at when things just couldn't be easy for me.

Besides, if he was watching, I bet he was laughing himself silly over my misery right about now.

Seriously though, why did the Hokage need to see _me_? (I could think of a couple reasons, being close to Naruto, ending up relatively unharmed in an area destroyed by Kyuubi, potentially being a prodigy. I wasn't very good at being subtle, so for all I knew I was acting completely different from the child whose body I was in.)

Alright so there were reasons why he might need to see me, but complaining, even if I had to do it internally, did make me feel slightly better about the whole thing.

I was very careful to keep any sign of my extreme nervousness out of my actions the next day. I was supposed to meet with the Hokage after the Acedemy had let us out for the day.

It was next to the Academy so I wouldn't get lost. Despite trying my best, I think Itachi still noticed something was off about me that day. He, bless his heart, only eyed me critically and didn't ask questions for which I was thankful.

When we were let out, I bid goodbye to Itachi and headed towards the Hokage Tower. I took a deep breath. There was really no reason for me to be so nervous. I was working myself up because of half-guessed assumptions about why I was getting called over to meet the Sandaime.

So I exhaled, and chilled the fuck out. Getting so riled up would do me no favors.

I was led into a waiting room, but I didn't have to wait for long. A Chunnin retrieved me and led into the Hokage's office before leaving with a bow.

I kept just the right amount of nervousness on my face. As far as they knew, I was a child meeting the leader of the village. It was probably expected of me to be _somewhat_ nervous.

"Suzuki-chan," he greeted in a grandfatherly way. I was a bit startled. He looked so much like he had in the show that I was a bit thrown of gaurd.

"Hokage-sama," I greeted back, with a small bow. The Sandaime motioned for me to sit and I did, resisting the urge to fidget in my seat. He didn't look threatening at all. He looked like a kindly old man, but I knew for a fact that he was so very dangerous.

_At least_, I reassured myself, _he doesn't really have any concrete reason to suspect me._

"I'm sure you're curious as to why I've called you here," he began and I straightened to attention with a small nod. He smiled. "The academy instructors tell me that you're a little too advanced for your current classes."

I shrugged, not really knowing what to say. So I was here as a potential prodigy then. Can't say I was too surprised. I did suck at holding myself back, and my mom had always taught me to never be anything but my best. And knowing why I was here was a little relieving.

"They're a little boring," I admitted. "But I'm not very good at Taijutsu or weapons yet." And it was true. I sucked at throwing things and my aim was bad enough to probably make a weapon's master cry. My Taijutsu was better, good for an orphan but it wasn't too special.

Itachi still kicked my ass every other day. Though I supposed that he wasn't a good basis for my current level. It was _Itachi_ after all, a genius among geniusis.

The Sandaime chuckled, lighting up his pipe. I wrinkled my nose slightly but said nothing.

"Would you like to take more advance classes?" He asked, blowing out some smoke from the pipe. I blinked. This was...unexpected.

It made sense in a way. The war was technically over. No one was actively fighting, but tensions were high. There were many hoping for peace but things could still take a turn for the worse.

The village could now take more time training their children, but having as many capable ninja as possible was common sense. Not to mention the Kyuubi attack had _devastated_ the village.

I thought for a moment. Should I?

I'd be branded as a prodigy, and I wanted to be under everyone's radar.

_Should have thought of that before getting close to Naruto and Itachi_, I thought wryly. I was pretty fond of both of them by this point. I wasn't ashamed to admit that I was using them as anchors, reminding myself that this place was _real_ now. It wasn't just a story anymore.

Spending more time than necessary in the Academy would be just be wasted time. I had the mind of an adult, and all the potential of my new body. I wasn't about to waste it.

Getting strong as fast as possible was kind of the whole point.

I took a deep breath and straightened in my seat, looking directly at the Sandaime.

"I'd like to take more difficult classes," I said, my young voice as firm as ever.

He smiled.

0o0o0o0o1o0o0o0o0o

I went to visit Naruto right after, a little dazed. The care lady eyed me indifferently before just leaving the room, glad to be able to get away from the little blonde.

It made me angry, but I squashed it down in favor of leaning over Naruto's crib to peer down at him.

"Hey," I cooed. My hand reached in and his pudgy little hand grasped my finger almost immediately. He greeted me with a gurgling giggle and I smiled.

"Looks like I'll become a ninja faster than expected," I told him, pulling my finger from his hand to rub his cheek. He let out a little high pitched laugh, something he had only started doing recently.

"Yeah, I am pretty cool," I said, relaxing. My nose wrinkled when I smelled the little present Naruto had apparently just left in his diaper.

His laughter died out into uncomfortable whimpers. I carefully picked him up, with a bit of a grimace before going to go change him. It wasn't a pleasant smell.

"You're a bit of a handful, y'know that?"

The only response I got was another gurgle.

I sighed.

0o0o0o0o2o0o0o0o0o

The next day, Itachi wasn't in class.

I couldn't really do anything without causing a scene, which was frustrating. I doubted the teacher would appreciate that though. So I held my tongue and waited until lunch.

I found my friend sitting in our usual spot. I plopped down next to him, noticing he seemed to want to say something.

"I have been moved up in classes and will be graduating this year," he told me, voice steady. Despite often being portrayed as expressionless and monotone, Itachi was just a rather calm person, albeit a bit reserved.

"Huh," I said, not too surprised. I vaguely recalled that Itachi had graduated in a year or something. He had been in ANBU by the time he was twelve.

I liked to think our friendship- if he even considered us friends- was a fairly comfortable one. I could understand him, knowing his future like I did, rather well and he was just good at reading people so I think he understood me fairly well too.

"I'm going to be moving up too," I told him after a little pause. He was the only who knew the actual extent of my intelligence. It was another reason we got along. It was pretty obvious, even at this age, just how much smarter than me he was. Even with a decade or two head start. I could, at least, definitely keep up with him.

"I'm not going to be graduating this year though," I said, and I might have been pouting. My chakra control, understanding and theoretical knowledge might have been leaps and bounds ahead of the other students, but I wasn't caught up in the physical department.

Which meant I was only being moved up a year, starting next week. Itachi was probably being sent straight to the final year. That meant I was only going to be able to see Itachi during lunch.

We only really rarely trained together after school. I don't even think it counted as training together. It was more of Itachi batting me around while I tried to keep up.

But those 'training' sessions were useful. I got some experience and I was improving, if ever so slightly.

"I hope you know you're not getting rid of me even when you graduate this year," I said lightly, pulling out a book. I had just become friends with him, and he was a cute kid (I was completely ignoring that we were technically the same age) I wasn't about to stop just because he graduated.

Besides, once I was friends with someone, I was a persistently loyal person. Come hell or high water, I stuck with my friends. And Itachi was a good person, so my decision to stick by him wasn't a difficult one.

He let out an amused scoff.

"As expected," he said. I smiled.

Life was good.

0o0o0o0o3o0o0o0o0o

I adjusted to my more advanced classes well. They were interesting and much more stimulating than my previous ones so I was enjoying them.

My classmates seemed a bit resentful of me, but I didn't really care for their opinion.

Everyday I trained diligently to catch up physically. It meant I spent less time with Naruto, which made me feel guilty, but I promised to make it up to him in the future. My time was also sometimes taken by my Uchiha friend, though that was rare and far in between.

Months passed in that manner. Before I knew it, it was graduation time. For Itachi at least.

I managed to catch him alone before he left with his parents, of who I caught a brief glimpse of waiting outside. There was a little baby with them that I could only assume was Sasuke in all his really cute glory.

"Congratulations," I said, giving him a sunny smile. He was getting out of this dump, lucky him.

I knew he would have a hard life, a bad future was waiting for him. But...well, I was going to change things, wasn't I? I hadn't given up on finding a way home, but my faith was waning.

Mother had always told me to not live in the past or wallow in things we couldn't control.

I was determined to give this the best ending I could. I would make sure Naruto and Itachi made it alive. I was too fond of them by now to allow anything else.

He tilted his head in acknowledgement. The headband around his forehead had been a good reminded that I needed to step up my game.

Time stopped for no one. And it was bound to run out for me soon.

I pulled a necklace out of my pocket, placing it in my friend's hands, smothering a grin at his slight surprise.

I had wanted to give him something for his graduation but I was a little stuck on what to give him. Eventually, because I wasn't the most creative person ever, I just decided to recreate the necklace he often wore in the show.

It wasn't accurate, considering it'd been almost a year since I'd last seen it, and I'd never payed it too much attention in the first place. The necklace had the three silver rings I'd remembered and little gems inside them.

Orphans got something like an allowance every week. It wasn't much, but I'd saved enough to buy the things I'd needed and made the necklace myself.

"Train hard, 'Tachi," I said, when it seemed he didn't really know what to say. Ah, cute, socially unsure good ol' Itachi. "One of these days, I'm going to beat you," I added in a friendly rivalry way.

That seemed to snap him out of his little daze. He raised an eyebrow at me, obviously not taking my words seriously. It was nice, comforting, when we bantered. I wondered what he would do if he knew about the things that I knew.

If he knew I wasn't who I appeared to be.

I pushed those thoughts away. They were surprisingly bitter.

I nudged him towards the doors. His family was waiting for him.

"Thank you," he said finally, turning to walk out. He gave me one last look before he left. My smile slipped off moments after he was gone.

I sighed. I wasn't a kid. Getting upset over not being able to spend more time with a friend was a bit childish. I didn't have time for thoughts like that. I had to train, and look make more concrete plans.

I had been reminded of everything that was coming. The time for preparing was now.

I sighed. There was so much to do.

* * *

_**Bonus:** An Insight into Itachi's Mind_

Uchiha Itachi was known as many things.

He was a once in a lifetime prodigy, the genius among geniuses. He was the heir to the Uchiha clan, a pacifist, and an older brother. As of recently, he was a friend to one Suzuki Natsu.

His classmate was a bit of an enigma, something of a walking contradiction. She was friendly and could talk for hours on end, but so easily made the transition into silence as well.

Natsu had a competitive streak, but never held a grudge against Itachi despite the fact that he constantly bested her during spars. She was a prodigy in her own right, that much Itachi was sure of, but could hardly hold a kunai well, let alone throw it properly.

She was never bothered if Itachi didn't speak, or when he did, answered in short sentences. She was also insanely persistent.

Despite the fact that he had obviously not wanted a friend, Natsu had kept joining him for lunch, continuously showing up to talk to him.

It wasn't too long before he had, with much exasperation, begun enjoying her presence. The topic of history had one day been brought up, and she had proved to be good for intelligent, insightful debate based on many history texts.

When Itachi had been informed of being placed in the most advanced classes, he wasn't surprised. What was even more shocking was the fact that it had taken so long.

Those days he recklessly trained under the Academy had paid off.

His new classmates were resentful of him. It was only natural. They were young and prideful. Being bested by someone younger than them was more than likely a harsh blow to their ego.

He had sought out Natsu, wondering if she would also resent him for being so far ahead.

She hadn't, unsurprisingly, hardly seeming shocked at all.

He wasn't very surprised when she told him she was moving up too ( it was only natural she couldn't graduate unit her Taijutsu and aim had improved.

As the months passed, he became rather fond of his contradictively mature, but still sometimes childish, fellow genius.

It had been dreary before. Having a friend was a strange thing, but not in a bad way.

The day of his graduation had been a bit of a relief but there had been dread too. His training would have to be increased if he wished to get strong enough to protect Sasuke and the village.

Getting snatched away by Natsu had been expected. His family did not know of his friendly relations with her, but he doubted they would approve.

She was but a nobody from a civilian family, and couldn't be used to benefit the clan, therefor befriending her would be a waste of time in the eyes of the clan. If anything, his strict father might even deem her a distraction from his training.

Itachi had only expected a congratulations from her. A gift was unexpected. A necklace even more so.

She had been practically beaming, and the necklace was obviously hand made. It left a startling, but not an unwelcome warmth.

What a strange girl he had befriended.

* * *

Not too happy with this chapter but what the fuck ever.

I'm going to be sometimes skipping a couple months, so that we can hopefully move this along and get to the good stuff. Sorry if it confuses you, but as I said before, if something doesn't make sense, PM and I'll do my best to explain my thoughts.

I get excited writing and sometimes some thoughts are lost as I write.

In any case, writing prodigal maturity while still showing that for all that genius, Itachi's still a kid, is really freakin' hard.

I drew Natsu the other day, so if you're interesting on what she'll look like a little older, check out my profile for the link.

Excuse any errors, I'm sadly beta-less right now.

**_Preview:_**

_Holy fucking shit._

_With the way I was improving, I might actually make it._

_Shinigami could kiss my ass_.

Please leave a review.


	4. Chapter 3: Crescendo

**_Disclaimer:_**I don't anything from Naruto. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. Natsu is totally my slave though.

* * *

**_Chapter 3: _**_Crescendo_

* * *

Summer came not too long after the graduation for upperclassmen and school let us out for vacation. And with summer came along more free time which actually meant more time for training. I was improving my aim and overall physical body at a snail's space. Slowly, but surely.

I spent a lot of time training, ending up sweaty, sticky, and really gross right after.

That summer was also when I got my own apartment. Orphans in the academy could apply to get their own living area but most didn't. It wasn't for lack of want, just most of them were still too young to properly take care of themselves or they didn't know about it in the first place. I didn't have either problem.

I had done my research; I missed the privacy and comfort of having my own space.

Basically, I didn't have to pay rent, and I still got the monthly check for being an orphan which is what I was given to use for food, clothes, ect. But that was only until I finished with the academy and had a stable enough income to support myself. That was when I'd begin paying for my own stuff.

It did explain how Naruto had had his apartment despite his lack of guardian.

The apartment I got wasn't really anything special. It had a kitchen that was connected to a small living room. There was a hall with two doors leading to a little bedroom; the other door being a bathroom. It was quaint and cozy.

At times like this it really came in handy to have the mind of an adult. Even before getting an apartment, I had saved most of my money, only using it for things like some snacks since we were fed in the orphanage, clothing, or not totally necessary things like Itachi's gift and a little toad plush I had gotten for Naruto.

Despite the apartment needing a good scrub, I was still pretty damn pleased with it overall. I spent about a week cleaning it, getting second hand furniture and just making the place more homey and lived in.

I gave the kitchen a bit of special attention and treatment. My mom had owned a restaurant; it was safe to say that I really liked cooking. Making meals in my house had been our girl time and though the thought brought with it a pang of nostalgia, it wasn't the same, almost unbearable pain of before when it had sunk in just how much I had lost. I took it as a good sign.

The only downside of having my own place was that I got to spend less time with Naruto. It made me sad and guilty at the same time. As of now, I was the only one who showed the poor baby any affection. He had started crawling not too long and whenever I visited (and I made sure to visit as much as possible) he'd come to me excitedly.

I had read somewhere in half-remembered books on child development and care that I had kind of memorized for Lulu that children, especially in the first years of their life, needed attention and affection to help the brain develop well.

In the show, Naruto hadn't been stupid, a bit dense at times sure, but not stupid. If he had had someone caring for him from the beginning, someone to teach him to think through situations a little better, how much would have original events changed?

I figured I might as well find out. It was something at least. A start.

0o0o0o0o1o0o0o0o0o

One of the first things I'd done after successfully making my place _my_ place, was to hunt down Itachi.

It wasn't easy at all. That guy was slippery and pretty good at not being found. Which was just ridiculous. After having spent an entire morning looking for him, and steadily getting more fed up as the hours ticked by, I finally pinned down the elusive Uchiha at a training ground a little ways from one of his regular training grounds.

"Natsu?" He sounded surprised. Itachi landed a few feet in front of me, breath slightly irregular and sweating. From the slightly noticeable bags under his eyes and paler than usual complexion, I could take a stab in the dark and guess the stupid idiot had been training himself into the ground since graduation.

Honestly, it was a good thing I was such a doting friend.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, putting away the kunai in his hand. He eyed me slightly wary, probably already guessing that I wouldn't let him continue his training right now. Damn right I wasn't.

"Looking for you," I answered not being able to help raising an eyebrow at him. I frowned. I hadn't seen him since graduation. I think he kind of expected our friendship to dissolve after it. Well, he had another thing coming. Motioning for him to follow me I said, "Join me for lunch. I haven't seen you in a while."

He fell into step next to me without a fuss, which made my lips twitch into an almost smile. Itachi was a big softie sometimes.

He didn't seem to want to talk, which I took in stride. I was just happy to be seeing him after not being able to do so for almost two months. I was rather content in just explaining what I'd been up, and I was a bit eager to show Itachi my new apartment.

We arrived quickly enough and I led him in and into the kitchen. I had prepared the onigiri already before having gone looking for my friend, so all I did was put the kettle on the stove for tea. There was a box of dango on the kitchen table as a little dessert.

I knew Itachi was fond of the snack, and since I had half expected him to be running himself haggard, I had stopped by to get some earlier as a sort of treat. Never let it be said that I didn't take care of my friends.

After serving the tea, we ate in silence. It wasn't awkward, despite the fact that I hadn't seen him for a while. It was like the silence we would sometimes have back in the academy when we sat under our usual tree.

Afterwards I had even managed to rope him into helping me with my aim, with a lot of exasperation and some reluctance on his part. It would still technically be training, I'd be getting a little more practice in with someone who was pretty damn good at it, and it was far less strenuous than the training Itachi had been doing before.

All in all, I counted the day as a win.

0o0o0o0o2o0o0o0o0o

The rest of vacation was pretty much uneventful. I trained, visited Naruto, and even managed to get a promise from Itachi to come by my apartment at least once every two weeks to eat and catch up.

Before I knew it school had started back up again.

My routine didn't change much. I went to school, visited Naruto, and had my semi-weekly lunch dates with Itachi. It was during one such lunch that I brought something up with my friend.

"Hey 'Tachi, what do you know about seals?" I asked casually once I'd finished eating.

"I am not very well versed in the subject," he responded thoughtfully after some silence. "Not many care to learn it. It is an obscure art." He paused. "Are you interested in it?"

"A bit," I admitted. "I can't find much on it in the books I could get and I know it's supposed to be taught by a Master but I'd like to know the basics at least." Fuinjutsu was as complicated as it was interesting. I wasn't planning on becoming a Seals Master but I was curious about it.

"Do you think you can get me a book on it?" I asked, putting on my best puppy dog eyes. If it had been anyone else but Itachi, they would have rolled their eyes. As it was, he looked as if he was about to give into the urge.

"I will see what I can do," he said, giving in. I smothered a grin but from the look on Itachi's face, I probably wasn't all that successful.

My birthday was coming up so he'd more than likely give it to me then. Itachi's birthday had already past, I'd managed to get him to tell me when it was a while back. I'd made him a cake and gotten him a new set of kunai. He went through them pretty quickly.

"Thanks!" I chirped, smiling.

0o0o0o0o3o0o0o0o0o

Time kept on passing and fall was right around the corner. The weather got cooler but still pleasant. That was the good thing about Fire Country, pleasant weather year-round.

I went through the book Itachi got me with single minded intensity. It was interesting, and this was barely the _basics_. Needless to say, it kept me very entertained.

Naruto was older now and was developing well. He was going to be a year old soon, which made me worried. The Kyuubi attack was still fresh in a lot of people's minds. The wounds were still new. I hoped they wouldn't go after a defenseless baby, but you never knew.

These people wanted a scapegoat, something they found in Naruto. They were mourning still but it wasn't an excuse to blatantly neglect a child as much as they had done.

There wasn't much I could do about that. There wasn't much I could do about anything right now. I scowled.

I hated being helpless.

0o0o0o0o4o0o0o0o0o

October tenth rolled around rather quickly. People spent it either locked up in their homes or drinking themselves into oblivion. Some did both.

There was a cemetery for civilians and a different one for shinobi. My current destination was the one for civilians. Not too long after I'd been thrown into the orphanage, I was given a paper telling me where this body's parents had been buried. I had never visited before.

I skipped school, packed a bento and a thermos of hot tea before heading out. I stopped by the flower shop to get three different types of flowers. Purple hyacinth for please forgive me, bluebells for gratitude, and cyclamen for goodbye.

I found their graves easily enough and cleared any weeds that had popped up before setting down the flowers. I sat in front of the two graves, going through the memories of the body I was in before remembering all I could from my world, all the happy times spent with my family. I was probably there for hours, silently mourning.

I ate my bento and drank my tea there. Mom and I had done that sometimes for dad after he had died, eating a meal and pretending to eat with him though he wasn't there anymore. When the sun was high in the sky, indicating that it was noon or later, I stood up, stretching my legs. I wanted to stop by and see Naruto, to make sure he was okay and wish him a happy birthday.

When I left, my shoulders felt lighter than before.

0o0o0o0o5o0o0o0o0o

"I hate you."

I glared at the tree in front of me. I was sweaty and dirty and really in need of a bath. My chakra reserves were good for my age and I had semi-good control so it was baffling why I couldn't seem to learn tree walking.

I had already spent two days on it, carefully toeing the line to chakra exhaustion. I wanted to know my limit, but I was incredibly careful to not actually kill myself from exhaustion. That'd just be embarrassing.

I tried again, managing to beat my previous record but still falling.

I stayed on the floor, catching my breath and panting.

Maybe I wasn't using enough chakra. Seeing as the tree hadn't explode, I wasn't using too much. I wrinkled my nose but dragged myself up. I wasn't going to stop until I had gotten this down. And I swore I'd get this down.

With renewed vigor, I ran for the tree again, making sure to use more chakra than before. To my surprise, I stuck. I kept running up before I stopped and just stood there, still sticking to the tree. I grinned.

Holy fucking shit.

With the way I was improving, I might actually make it.

Shinigami could kiss my ass. I was going to do this. I was definitely giving this world a better ending. Failure was not an option.

Because of my internal celebration, my concentration and chakra wavered. I fell off, landing with a thump on the ground.

"Ow," I groaned. I looked up at the sky, being unable to help the smile that graced my face. God, those thoughts were corny. Still, I was proud.

This was progress. Baby steps were the key.

* * *

_**Preview:**_

_I twitched, staring intently at the little book._

_I shouldn't, really really shouldn't. But I was so so curious._

_Fuck it. I snatched the book. Curiosity killed the cat, but whatever. _

**Please leave a review.**


	5. Chapter 4: All The Small Things

**_Disclaimer:_** I own nothing from Naruto. He's someone else's toy, I just took him and left an I.O.U for the moment. Natsu, however, is a product of my wicked mind.

**_A/N:_ **Sorry for the delay on this chapter. I haven't felt like writing, but I'm back now and ready to go!

* * *

**_Chapter 4: _**_All The Small Things_

* * *

We were finally starting chakra control and jutsu in the academy. It was kind of exciting and I was giddy for the lessons. I might have wanted to show off a bit, knowing that my control would be good with all the training I had done to get it like that. So sue me. Despite having the mind of an adult, my body was still wired to that of a kid's, my emotional responses proved that much.

Just as I expected, my control was more than good enough for the leaf exercise we did.

"Well done, Natsu-chan," my sensei praised, giving me a small smile and checking something off on his clipboard before leaving to grade another student. I smiled brightly. So it was a bit embarrassing that compliments from teachers made me light up considering my mental age but...well I'd always been a bit of a teacher's pet.

I had even gotten better in Taijutsu. I could keep up with all the academy kids in my class when we sparred. It was good progress. But my aim was barely passable still and it was obvious that despite my improvement in hand-to-hand, it'd never be my strong suit.

Knowing that, I realized that I'd have to be very careful in the future. I had big reserves considering my age and gender, and my chakra control was something I was proud of. But if I wanted to survive in this world I had to be smart.

Good chakra control made me think of becoming a medic. But I didn't want to only be support. So I had to think of something I could use for offense. Something that didn't really need physical strength, preferably something long range.

I'd think of something later, for now, I resolved to get books on the human body as soon as possible. The sooner I started, the better.

I didn't specifically want to pursue a career in Sealing because one, it was best learned from a master and the only one I knew of was Jiraya who was not even in the village to begin with, not to mention that he probably wouldn't want to teach me anyways, and two, I didn't think I'd be able to _ever_ get good enough at sealing to use it in combat like Minato had done.

Becoming a medic/something long ranged was the best option I could see for myself.

Considering what was coming, I needed to get strong _fast_. I wasn't built like Sasuke or Naruto, who had been able to throw destructive jutsu after destructive jutsu or pull ridiculously devastating attacks out their ass. I didn't have a bloodline limit to give me an advantage and I wasn't as smart as Itachi, who had had backup plan after backup plan _just in case _and could _also_ throw around high ranking jutsu like it was going out of style.

Hell, I wasn't even as brave as them.

I was plain ol' Natsu. All I had was knowledge of the future that might not even happen - because what I knew was useless at worst and unreliable at best - and an adult consciousness and with all the geniuses around here, it wasn't even something worth noting anymore.

In this world, if I didn't know how to use the very small advantages I had, I died. Simple as that.

Good mood gone, I frowned and turned to look out the window.

It was an annoyingly sunny day.

0o0o0o0o1o0o0o0o0o

By the end of the year, we had learned chakra control excersises, hand seals, and we were taught the Henge.

Next year would be my last. I'd be graduating then.

I was both eager and nervous. But I still had time so I tried not to worry too much.

Time was passing slow for me. I had only been in this world for nearly two years but it felt so much longer. I still felt a cold chill sometimes when I'm alone. As if someone was watching.

I wondered if Shinigami was out there, doing the watching.

When thoughts like that entered my head, I'd do my best to keep busy. No point in worrying over trivial things. There was nothing I could do about that now. The last few years I had before Naruto grew up and became a genin, officially beginning everything, was precious time I needed to use to get strong.

Which reminded me, I hadn't visited him in a while. He was almost two now, and was running the caretakers haggard now that he could walk and run easily. He was speaking in longer sentences as the days went by.

The people running the orphanage, who were civilian ladies, no longer allowed me to visit Naruto. Since he could walk, run, and talk, he was already beginning to be shunned. There was no physical abuse, and a nasty part of my mind told me, _not yet._

I hadn't stopped seeing the little blond though. Since they were just civilians and I was very close to graduating, it was easy to get into the orphanage to spend some time with Naruto. Considering that they didn't even pay attention to him, I could spend a couple hours with him without them noticing.

By the time summer rolled around again, Naruto could come and go from the orphanage to other parts of the village. Since this was a military village, children were pretty much allowed to go places by themselves as soon as they could walk. When all you needed to do was shout and a couple of shinobi would be there in a flash, parents no doubt felt that it was safe for their kids.

It was pretty convenient for me, since after that I didnt really need to sneak into the orphanage as much as before.

0o0o0o0o2o0o0o0o0o

"You wish to become a medic?" Itachi asked instead of a greeting as he entered my house for our semi weekly lunch dates. He was referring to all the books I had strewn around, with covers depicting human anatomy, diseases, and even one book for herbs.

"Hello to you too," I said, turning to face him for second. I had been cooking, and I was still keeping an eye on the food as I answered his question. "And yes, I think I do."

Itachi raised an eyebrow at me but left it at that, instead eyeing the apron I was wearing distastefully. I couldn't really blame him. It was an eye watering pastel blue with yellow bunnies on it. Horrible aprons had been another little tradition in my other world when I cooked with my mom.

"Let me practice on you?" I asked when the food was done and I had served us both, taking off the bad apron and sitting down at the table with him. Itachi had missed our last lunch date because of a mission. Something to do with the fact that Kumo had invaded Fire Country. I had honestly forgotten that something like that had happened, but when the announcement came, my memory had been jolted.

Naruto's generation would all mostly be either almost two or already there. The peace treaty signing where Hinata had been kidnapped happened when she was three, and the war with Kumo had lasted about a year or so. What was happening now matched up with my knowledge from the other world.

Thankfully, Itachi was still just a genin. Which meant that until the fighting got really bad, he wouldn't be doing anything particularly dangerous, in shinobi terms of danger at least which wasn't exactly reassuring to my worried mind. And because of the skirmishes happening, I was being graduated early. Unlike Itachi that had been skipped straight to the last year, I had only skipped one, but now they were putting me in the final year because I was still considered a possible genius. I wasn't on Itachi's caliber of prodigy but I was still something with potential in their eyes, and since we were low on ninja, it was necessary to get as many competent soldiers as possible.

From his wet hair I could guess that he had only just returned this morning and cleaned up before coming over. It was little things like this that made smile because it showed that he valued our friendship as much as I did, though I did feel guilty because he looked tired.

Which is why I wanted to use him as my guinea pig. I had been practicing a lot and could now heal small cuts and ease some fatigue from the muscles. It took a lot out of me because I wasn't used to it, and the only way to remedy that was with more practice.

Itachi eyed me somewhat apprehensively (really, did he have so little faith in my abilities? I knew my limits!) and I gave him a smile. He nodded his consent.

"Fine."

We finished eating and when the dishes had been placed in the sink, we sat together in my tiny living room, across from each other. I leaned over and placed a hand over his calf and activated my Mystical Palm jutsu. I had only just gotten it to work last week after extensive (and I mean _extensive_, I didn't sleep more than three hours for like two weeks) practice on fish, small rodents, and birds. I gently used my chakra to soothe Itachi's over worked muscles, easing the fatigue. He had probably been delivering supplies to the outposts, the types of missions usually left to genin. It was a lot of running.

My brow was furrowed as I worked. When I was done with his right leg, I went to the left and repeated the same process. I was able to finish with it before leaning back, tired. It took a lot of chakra out of me which wasn't surprising. It was impressive that I could do this much at my age, but I had been relentless in learning it. It was an incredibly useful technique.

Itachi stood, testing the muscles. Finding that they weren't tired anymore, he looked at me, and I swear I caught the hint of a smile playing at his lips. It was gone before I could be sure.

"Thank you," he said, and I smiled brightly, beaming. There was something like praise in his voice and it made beyond happy. Itachi didn't compliment often, but his approval was worth so much more than any academy's teacher's.

The worry in my gut over his wellbeing and the fact that I might have to fight in the last few months of the war with Kumo eased. For now, I had to enjoy these moments.

0o0o0o0o3o0o0o0o0o

"Nee-chan!"

My eyebrows raised as Naruto came bursting into my apartment, nearly in tears. He launched himself at me but I caught the kid easily enough.

"Naruto? Whats wrong?" I asked, mildly concerned.

"They ripped Gama-chan! They ripped him!" Naruto cried, frustrated, angry, and upset as he held up the disfigured toad stuffed toy I had gotten for him when he had been a baby. I knew exactly who _they_ were.

I frowned. Anger swelled up inside me and I wished I could have given those kids a sound thrashing but that was out of the question. A downright evil idea popped into my mind and I felt like laughing. Naruto had been a huge prankster in the show. And a good one at that. Who was I to not encourage that skill? But first I had a toddler to comfort.

"It's alright, Naruto," I told him gently, smiling at him. The toady was beyond help but still..."We'll go get another Gama-chan soon, okay? If you come with me, you can pick him out yourself."

Naruto sniffled, but in true kid fashion, he nodded his consent without much of a fight at being able to replace his toy.

"You should never let anyone treat you that way," I began after he had stopped sniffling. In the brief flashbacks I had seen of his childhood, there were times when he had been sad at the treatment he got, but he rarely-if ever-cried. But this Naruto was just a baby still and he didn't know why pretty much everyone hated him. The adults shunned him but the kids, having been told by their parents to not associate with Naruto, were so much crueler to him. I couldn't do anything about it, but he could. And it'd be mostly harmless.

The smirk on my face as I explained to a wide eyed toddler the wonders of pranks was nasty. But I at least made sure to emphasize that pranks, when played on friends and such, should leave them laughing or a little annoyed and not angry or in tears. But if he pranked people who had been bad to him, then he could go all out.

He seemed to have taken to the idea happily enough and when he had calmed down, I took the little blonde to go looking for a replacement Gama-chan as I'd promised. He ended up picking the horribly cute froggy purse I vaguely remember that he had had in the show. What were the odds, right? But really, it was kinda cute. And if I had plans to get him a pranking kit for his birthday, well no one had to know.

Perhaps I wasn't the greatest influence on the little blond kid. Eh. Not that I cared.

0o0o0o0o4o0o0o0o0o

Whenever I got the time, I'd spend some of my free time at the bookstore. The man running the store had come to memorize my face and name by now. I think he was pretty fond of me by this point.

Not too long ago I had ordered a book for Naruto and I was there to pick it up today.

"Good morning Natsu-chan, " he greeted kindly when I came into his store. I gave him a smile, saying a good morning back.

"Do you have the book, Saitou-san?" I asked, when something orange caught my eye. I froze, only barely making out that Saitou-san was talking.

"I had to order it especially, " he was saying. "Though the author is well known, this book of his isn't. "

There it was, in all its bright colored glory; Icha Icha. Like any good Naruto fan, I had always been curious about those infamous little books. And here they were. Oh man, I needed to get one. Like now.

"What are those?" I asked Saitou-san, amused when he chuckled nervously and waved me off.

"Those types of books aren't for girls your age, Natsu-chan, " he told before bringing out the book I had ordered and handing it to me to distract me from those bright books. I let it to go for now. It's not like he'd let me buy one now.

Thanking him, I paid for my book and waved at him as I left. The book I had gotten for Naruto was the one Jiraya had written.

His very first one; Tale of The Gutsy Ninja.

I wasn't completely sure why I bought it. Maybe I wanted Naruto to have a piece of his godfather as a kid. He'd like it, I knew. The little blonde would love the fact that the main character shared his name. I dropped the book of at home.

That being done I went back to the store, and Henged into a nondescript middle aged man after making sure no one had seen me. Saitou-san was a civilian. He'd never know the difference. I entered the store and almost made a beeline for the Icha Icha.

I twitched, staring intently at the little book.

I shouldn't, really really shouldn't. But I was so so curious.

Fuck it. I snatched the book. Curiosity killed the cat, but whatever. I was an adult in mind, and besides how many people would have had this golden chance. I wanted to know why these books were so popular.

I paid for the book and went straight home. I spent the rest of the day reading and occasionally giggling at the horrible ridiculousness that was this series.

* * *

I skipped time a lot in this chapter. Sorry if anything got confusing.

_Chaosrin:_ You must be physic, buddy. I had just written the Kumo incident in not too long before your review came in.

To all my reviewers, thank you very much! I'm glad you guys like my silly story. It makes my day reading what you guys have to say.

**_Preview:_**

_I had done it._

_I was graduating. _

**Please leave a review!**


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